HP-603 bluetooth MIDI connection with Piano Partner 2 app

The experience of playing a Roland HP-603 digital piano can be enhanced when connected to the Roland Piano Partner 2 app. Enjoy an easy to use interface on your very own tablet that allows you to select tones, play with rhythms, quiz your musical ear with the flash cards game, and look at the digital sheet music to any of the internal songs on the piano. Thanks to bluetooth MIDI technology, you can connect your iOS or android device wirelessly to the HP-603 piano for this innovative, musically enhancing experience.

Click HERE to access more information and a download link for the Roland Piano Partner 2 app.

The first thing you need to do before trying to connect your Roland HP-603 digital piano to Piano Partner 2, is ensure that it has the latest system program update, which is version 1.15 or later. To check your version, please follow this procedure:

If your piano does not have version 1.15, please click HERE to find updating instructions and downloadable files for the latest system program update.

Here are the steps to connect your Roland HP-603 digital piano to an iOS device:

Turn your piano on by pressing the power button.

Press the [Ambience] and [Brilliance] buttons together at the same time to enter the Function menu.

Use the [right arrow] button on your piano to scroll until you see the setting called "Bluetooth Turn/MIDI" on your screen.

Press the [+] button until you see just the word "MIDI" on the screen.

Press both the [Ambience] and the [Brilliance] buttons together at the same time to exit the function menu.

On your iOS device, open the "settings" app.

Select the "Bluetooth settings", and turn your bluetooth to "On".

If you see "HP-603" listed under devices in this bluetooth menu, DO NOT SELECT IT. Press the little "i" listed next to the device, and follow the steps to "Forget this device".

Exit out of the settings on your iOS device, and open up the Piano Partner 2 app.

Click on the little gear in the upper right hand corner of the app.

Next, click on "Bluetooth MIDI devices"

You should see your "HP-603" device listed here. Click on the device, and proceed to "pair the device".

You should see the app load up with an orange bar, and then say "connected with the HP-603" in the lower left hand screen of the app.

Your HP-603 piano is now wirelessly connected to the Piano Partner 2 app via bluetooth, and you can enjoy the touchscreen interface that now controls your piano!

Here are the steps to connect your Roland HP-603 digital piano to an Android device:

Turn your piano on by pressing the power button.

Press the [Ambience] and [Brilliance] buttons together at the same time to enter the Function menu.

Use the [right arrow] button on your piano to scroll until you see the setting called "Bluetooth Turn/MIDI" on your screen.

Press the [+] button until you see just the word "MIDI" on the screen.

Press both the [Ambience] and the [Brilliance] buttons together at the same time to exit the function menu.

On your Android device, open up the "bluetooth settings" and turn the bluetooth to "On".

Open up the Piano Partner 2 app. When the device asks if you can "access the USB device", select "ok". The app should automatically open to its home screen.

Click on the little gear in the upper right hand corner of the app.

Next, click on "Bluetooth MIDI devices"

You should see your "HP-603" device listed here. Click on the device, and proceed to "pair the device".

You should see the app load up with an orange bar, and then say "connected with the HP-603" in the lower left hand screen of the app.

Your HP-603 piano is now wirelessly connected to the Piano Partner 2 app via bluetooth, and you can enjoy the touchscreen interface that now controls your piano!*

*With android devices, you cannot access the "rhythms feature" of the app when connected via Bluetooth MIDI. To use the rhythm feature of Piano Partner 2 with an Android device, you must connect with a MIDI cable via the "hard-wired" method (see details below). This is a limitation of the Android system.

If you've tried one of the above procedures, and can't seem to get a successful connection, please try these troubleshooting tips:

1. Perform a Factory reset on your piano (this will return all of the piano settings to their default positions; however, it will not erase the songs in the internal memory or on an external USB flash drive).

Turn your piano on by pressing the power button.

Press the [Ambience] and [Brilliance] buttons together at the same time to enter the Function menu.

Use the [right arrow] button on your piano to scroll until you see the setting #32 called "Factory Reset".

Press the [Play/Stop] button to enter this parameter.

Press the [right arrow] button to highlight and select "yes", and then press the [Play/Stop] button to confirm the procedure.

The screen will show the word "Executing". Once that word goes away, turn the power of the piano to the "Off" position, and then turn your piano back on again.

2. Restart your iOS or Android Device.

First, turn the bluetooth settings on your device to the "Off" position.

Next, turn your entire device off, and then back on again.

3. Make sure you are using a compatible Device. You will find a chart listing compatible devices at the bottom of this article.

4. Follow the connection procedure detailed above from the start once again. Take note of the following details:

Be sure that you connect to your device from within the Piano Partner 2 app, and not from within the Bluetooth Settings menu. This is crucial.

Make sure you have an active internet connection. The app may be trying to search for updates when you open it up, which requires an internet connection - without one, the app may not be able to function properly. This can be through either a cellular data connection or through a wifi internet connection.

At step 5, make sure you return to the home screen of the piano. Sometimes when you have the "MIDI" parameter from the function menu opened up on your piano, the device won't be able to properly connect.

At step 8, Make sure that you click the "i" and "forget this device". If there are any other devices listed in your bluetooth settings at this time, please also click the "i" next to their names and proceed to "forget this device". Clearing out this menu can make it easier for the Piano Partner 2 app to successfully find the piano via bluetooth MIDI.

Hard-wired Connection:

Another useful thing to know is that you can always connect the Piano Partner 2 app to your Roland HP-603 piano via a hard-wired connection. This connection needs to go from the USB computer port on the back of your piano (a square-isa shaped port), into your device. This will likely require an adaptor, as you'll need to be able to plug a standard USB cable into your device.

Cable: For this connection, you will need a standard A/B USB computer cable. An example of a proper cable for this connection type can be found HERE.

Adaptors: For apple devices, we recommend the camera connection kit, which plugs into the power port of your apple device and creates a USB port.